Effects of selected organic preservatives on table egg quality attributes during various storage periods

This study explored the efficacy of organic preservatives, particularly beeswax and its combinations with ginger, moringa, and lemon powder, in preserving the quality of stored eggs over various storage periods. A completely randomized factorial experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of these preservation methods and storage durations on egg quality. A total of 150 uniform eggs were assigned to five treatment groups; uncoated (control), beeswax alone, beeswax with ginger, moringa, or lemon powders over five weeks, with each method replicated three times, allocating 30 eggs per replicate. Moringa, ginger, and lemon were dried, milled, and mixed with melted beeswax, which was uniformly applied (1-2 mL) to the eggs. The eggs were then stored under controlled conditions (23±2°C and 65% relative humidity). Weekly evaluations included assessments of weight loss, albumen and yolk pH, and albumen quality on six randomly chosen eggs from each treatment group. Results revealed that both organic preservatives and storage time significantly influenced eggs quality (p<0.05). Uncoated eggs faced a weight loss of 7.66% by the fifth week; whereas beeswax combined with lemon, ginger and moringa powder coated eggs lost less than 1%. The yolk index and color also deteriorated in uncoated eggs, while beeswax combined with ginger coated eggs showed better preservation quality. These findings suggest that beeswax alone and combined with lemon, moringa and ginger powder preservatives can effectively maintain egg freshness and extend shelf life, indicating potential avenues for further research in egg preservation techniques.